


And Switch

by campsearchlight



Series: The Hawk and the Wolf [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: First Meetings, Other, Trust Issues, Varric Tethras is a Good Friend, he is also hawke’s chosen moral compass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22181635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/campsearchlight/pseuds/campsearchlight
Summary: Fenris learns the truth about the roguish Lore Hawke’s ability to set multiple people on fire with a flick of their wrist. And he isnothappy about it.
Relationships: Fenris/Hawke, Hawke & Aveline Vallen, Hawke & Varric Tethras, Nonbinary!Hawke/Fenris
Series: The Hawk and the Wolf [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1359256
Kudos: 6





	And Switch

Fenris stalked over to Hawke, his face contorted with anger. “You’re a _mage_?” He spat the last word like it was poison. 

They took an involuntary step backward, right into Aveline, who put her hand on Hawke’s shoulder to keep them from knocking her over. “Yes,” Hawke said, trying to sound as steady as Aveline’s hand felt on their shoulder. “Will that be a problem?”

Fenris’s head drew back at their admission, his mouth twisted in apparent disgust. He turned his face away, then looked at them again. His features had smoothed in that brief moment. “You… helped me,” he said, begrudgingly, “though you didn’t have to. So, no. No, it won’t be a problem—so long as you don’t do anything to make it a problem.”

Aveline took her hand back and fisted both of them on her hips. “They’re not a child. They can obviously control themself.”

“You saw me fight without magic, didn’t you?” Hawke asked, squaring their stance and aligning their posture with his. They wouldn’t be the first to back down. “I’m pretty damned good.”

He regarded them coldly. “Hm.” 

Hawke’s lips pursed. “I can assure you that it’s always my last defense.”

“As I’m sure it is with every apostate.” He turned to stare up at the facade before Hawke could get another word out. “Should you find yourself in need of my assistance, Serah Hawke, I will be here.”

“Here? As in, the mansion?” they clarified, eyebrow raised. 

He looked at them over his shoulder. “It would be a waste to leave it abandoned. Don’t you agree?”

“You’d be squatting,” Aveline said, bluntly, “which is against the law.”

Fenris turned fully back to the group once more. “Where else would I be able to stay, as I have no coin? If you have another idea, I’m listening.”

“The Alienage. They take in any elves that need help.”

He scowled, offended. “I’d rather live on the streets.”

“Then, why don’t you?”

Hawke stepped between them to prevent an all-out brawl. “Okay, okay. Aveline, have some compassion. Fenris—” They wanted to tell him to be less confrontational, but they were in no position to make that demand. “Fenris can stay where he pleases.”

Aveline leveled an inquisitive look at Hawke. “So, you’d ignore the law as well, Hawke?”

They bit their lip, because they did not want to say _yes_ outright. 

“ _You_ ignored a handful of laws when you didn’t immediately turn them over to the Templars when you got here,” Varric pointed out, his arms folded over his chest. A challenge lay in his smug expression. 

Aveline’s mouth fell open as she stared at him. She had no rebuttal. 

“So, it’s settled.” Varric looked up at Fenris and winked. He gestured grandly to the mansion. “Welcome home.”

Fenris’s gaze darted from Varric to Aveline to Hawke. “Well, then… I bid you all a good night.”

“Goodnight,” Hawke said as he took the short set of steps in one stride. 

Sparing no backwards glance, he disappeared into the mansion. 

Hawke hadn’t been the first to leave, and that satisfied them more than it should have. They marched away, heading for the steps down from the subset of Hightown mansions. 

“Hawke,” Aveline said, she and Varric rushing to catch up, “this elf is bad news.”

“You think so?” Hawke said, looking over at Aveline. “Why’s that?”

“He’s an escaped slave from Tevinter?” 

Her tone suggested that Hawke should already be aware of this—which they were. The slave part didn’t bother Hawke, though; Fenris’s severe aversion to magic did. They could only imagine what would happen when he inevitably met Bethany.

Hawke drew in a breath. “So?” 

“His master—his former master is hunting for him. It’s only a matter of time before he finds him.”

“And when the time comes, I’ll help him again.”

“A big promise, Hawke,” Varric noted, though there was no edge of judgement to his tone. “You sure you can handle this?”

“Trust me,” Hawke said, heading for the Viscount’s Keep to drop off Aveline. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I’m just not sure _why_ you would want to help him,” Aveline said. “He clearly doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

“If that were true, why did he say I could come ask him for help?”

Aveline hesitated. “I—I don’t know. That is peculiar.”

“Peculiar, indeed,” Varric agreed. “Have a good night, Red.”

“Don’t call me that.” With that, Aveline began the ascent to the Keep. 

Hawke and Varric looked at each other, and then they began the trip to Lowtown. 

“Varric?” Hawke said once the Hanged Man was in view. 

“Hawke?” he returned, looking up at them. 

“Do you...?” They trailed off with a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m asking this. I’m usually pretty solid in matters of morality.”

Varric snorted. 

They ignored that. “Do you think helping Fenris is the right thing to do?”

“Damn, Dasher,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a gloved hand. “Asking the hard-hitting questions while I’m still sober. Come inside. I’ll tell you what I think over a drink.”

“I don’t have the coin to spare,” Hawke admitted. They were hoarding every silver and bit they could get their hands on for their upcoming journey into the Deep Roads. 

He held open the door for them and gestured for them to go ahead. “It’s on me.” 

The pair sat at the low table in Varric’s private quarters, drinks in hand. Hawke looked at the amber liquid in their tankard while Varric went to work on his own. 

He wiped a bit of foam from the corner of his mouth with a knuckle before he finally addressed Hawke. “You want to know if helping him is the right thing to do, right? Well, I don’t see the harm in it. Aveline’s worried because he’s a fugitive. It would make her look bad if he was found out, since he’s holed up in a mansion that doesn’t ‘legally’ belong to him. Imagine if the Captain of the Guard found out Aveline knew about you and she hadn’t turned you in. It’s the same thing.” 

“Huh.” Hawke ran a fingertip along the rim of their tankard. “I get it. I think.”

“As for if it’s the right thing,” he continued, “you have a good head on your shoulders, Hawke, even if it’s on backwards sometimes. Even so, I still trust your judgement over anyone else’s. Fenris needed help, and you gave it. What’s so wrong about that?”

Hawke shrugged. “Aveline makes it seem like a stupid idea.”

“And it very well could be. I suppose we’ll have to take extra care of our new friend, hm?” 

“So, we should keep him around?”

“He’d be pretty good to have watching our backs in the Deep Roads—what, with the glowing hands and what seems to be the ever-burning fire of rage deep within him.”

Hawke laughed. “He’s a little intimidating, isn’t he.”

“ _I_ wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that sword.”

They smirked. 

“Really, Hawke.” But, Varric laughed, which broke them, too.


End file.
